christmasshopping

Cheap chic retailer Target and luxury department store Neiman Marcus announced Tuesday that they're teaming up on a holiday fashion, home and accessories collection to be sold at both chains. Strange bedfellows? Not really. The two have more in common than meets the eye.

The holidays may have come and gone, but when Best Buy posts its quarterly earnings, it's going to very publicly relive them -- whether it wants to or not. Wall Street analysts are generally optimistic, but there reasons for investors to worry.

With 2012's first earnings season well under way, let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead: Here's why you should be watching one major mall owner, two tech giants, three homebuilders and a couple of old media behemoths.

Retail sales inched up by just 0.1% in December, but the gain was enough to lift sales to a record level for 2011. It marked the largest annual increase in more than a decade, and confirms that the economy was strengthening as the year ended.

The holiday season was a heck of a party for retailers, but consumers are now nursing a shopping hangover that will keep them out of the nation's stores in January and February. "Now that those credit card bills are hitting mailboxes, shoppers will cut back in a very significant way," said Britt Beemer of America's Research Group.

Following a record Black Friday, retail sales hit new heights on Super Saturday Dec. 17 -- the penultimate shopping Saturday before Christmas and a day when retailers trot out themed promotions. It's a sign that many consumers have rebounded from the recession and unleashed their pent-up buying demand.

When Emily Russell's sons wake up on Christmas morning, they'll find that Santa left them a note instead of the videogames they requested. Some people have always postponed Christmas celebrations because their jobs don't pause for the holiday. But in the weak economy, folks are delaying Christmas for another reason: money.

Your Christmas shopping list may hold the key to future riches if you read it in a different light. It's not simply a checklist of needs coupled with a smattering of wants. It's also the key to finding the best stock deals of the holiday shopping season.

Thin is in this season -- flat-screen televisions are shaping up to be among the hottest holiday gifts. Prices are at unheard-of lows, and supply is still ahead of demand, but there's another reason for their current popularity.

Retailers are finding ways to put a fresh spin on the classic limited-time sale this holiday season. Target's latest effort -- the Almost Last Minute Sale. From Dec. 8 to Dec. 11, it will offer discounts on items from its most popular gift categories in stores and online.

In a one-day ploy to get consumers in the holiday shopping spirit, on Dec. 10, Amazon.com, will reward shoppers who use its Price Check mobile app with a 5% discount (of up to $5) on three qualifying products.

They are the dark side of holiday giving: returns, exchanges, refunds. The gift you so lovingly selected turns out to be not quite right. What should you do to ease the journey from disappointment to happiness?

Millions of holiday shoppers aiming to avoid the crowds are headed online. But not all retailers do e-commerce with ease -- especially if you have questions and need help from a customer service representative. Which chains respond fast -- and which don't? We have the answers.

If you want to give your loved ones environmental peace and joy, you might want to hold off on buying them the latest hot gadgets as gifts. E-waste is a dirty problem that lingers far beyond the time when Christmas present becomes Christmas past.

Black Friday, the Super Bowl of the holiday shopping season, is upon us. Deal pros cut through the barrage of bargain-hunting tips with a pared down -- and doorbuster-free -- list of simple ways to save during the shopping blitz.

At $499 and up, Apple's iPad may not fit in your holiday budget. But how about $199 or $249 for a slightly smaller, full-featured gadget? Barnes & Noble has its Nook Tablet; Amazon has the $199 Kindle Fire. Decisions, decisions ...

A pair of Walmart.com stores have opened in two California shopping malls. The stores are tiny, but stock some hot items for the holiday season, and boast a fleet of laptops that customers can use to browse the virtual aisles of Walmart.com. It's a smart move for Walmart, but it begs the question: What were the mall landlords thinking?

The day after Thanksgiving isn't just the best time to land deals on TVs and blu-ray players: It's also the best savings day of the year for cars. Price cuts will be everywhere as dealerships try to compete with the malls and big box stores, but we've got the five vehicles that will have the biggest discounts.

With Walmart's announcement that it will open at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving, the holiday has morphed into Black Friday Eve. But for the anti-consumerism camp, Nordstrom is king: For the sixth year year in a row, it won't even decorate for Christmas, let alone do any holiday marketing, until Thanksgiving is officially over.

Anyone who lined up outside their local Target early one Tuesday morning this past September to score some Missoni -- and witnessed the retail carnage that ensued -- will be well prepared for Black Friday. Target, on the other hand, may not be as ready -- especially when it comes to its website.

Here's some Black Friday shopping advice: Stay home. Ditch the stores, crowds and lines, and shop online, where the deals often eclipse what you'll find in stores, says Brad Wilson, CEO of Bradsdeals.com. So where are the big bargains on shoes, electronics, jewelry, apparel and home goods? Read on ...

For many of the millions of Americans still out of work, shopping on Black Friday has become a luxury they can no longer afford. But some entrepreneurial consumers are refusing to be left with empty bags. They're going shopping for those doorbusters -- but for you, and for a fee.

For the first time, Walmart is offering its Facebook fans an early, exclusive preview of its Black Friday deals, including toys, electronics and apparel. Those who like the store on Facebook are supposed to get the news later today.